Fost Plus, the Belgian non-profit organisation responsible for the selective collection, sorting and recycling of household packaging waste in Belgium has awarded Dutch recycling company Morssinkhof Rymoplast Groep a 9-year contract for the recycling of PET trays and bottles in a new factory in Belgium. The new plant, to be located at Neufchâteau, in the province of Limburg, will be the organisation’s fourth recycling centre in Belgium.
Fost Plus is a government-recognized organisation responsible for the selective collection, sorting and recycling of household packaging waste in Belgium. The organisation was established in 1994 as a voluntary initiative by the business community. Fost Plus recycles almost 95% of the household packaging on the market every year thanks to the efficient collection of glass, paper-cardboard and PMD (plastic, metal and drinks cartons). To that end, the organisation works closely with stakeholders through the chain: companies, federations, authorities, intermunicipalities, collection, sorting and recycling companies and the general public.
In October 2021, Fost Plus introduced a new Blue Bag in which, unlike the previous one, households may deposit almost all the domestic plastic packaging they use. This is then taken to be sorted in the five advanced sorting installations for plastic packaging waste in the country. In order to be able to handle the volume of incoming waste, more plastics recycling capacity was needed. Having built three recycling centres in 2020, Fost Plus is now building the fourth, which will be managed by Morssinkhof.
According to Fost Plus’ managing director Wim Geens, ‘with the award of this contract and the guarantee of efficient recycling into secondary raw materials in our country, the circle is closed’. He added that 95% of the volume supplied by Fost Plus is intended to return to the Belgian market.
Stefan Morssinkhof, owner of Morssinkhof Rymoplast said his company was investing 30 million euros in the construction of the factory, that will set a new standard for the recycling of complex PET packaging such as PET trays and opaque PET bottles. “We are proud to be able to expand our activities in Belgium, as a recycling hub in the heart of Europe.”